Rosie Makes: A Festive Pinecone Garland

I love any excuse to get crafting, and is there anything better when the days are short and weather wintry than a Christmas crafternoon? This year, I’ve joined forces with John Lewis Edinburgh to bring you not one, but four festive makes – one for each weekend of advent. This time of year is extra busy, and often extra pricy – so I’ve aimed to share makes that are great for if you’re short of time or funds. Three of the four involve foraged materials, as well as some staple pieces from JL that you’ll be able to reuse or reinvent year after year. I hope they’re pretty simple to follow too – and they will get a little more challenging with each make. So without further ado, here’s my first crafting project – a festive pinecone garland. Make sure you stop by each Saturday during advent for a new seasonal DIY (and each Sunday for the festive bakes, of course!).

To make the festive pinecone garland, you will need:

A selection of pinecones, acorns or other seasonal natural materials you can get your hands on (I used miniature pinecones from John Lewis and some acorns)
Twine (I used natural/ gold, for some subtle shimmer)
Glitter (I’m in love with this rose gold glitter from JL for the not so subtle shimmer)
Miniature bells or other decoration of your choice
Scissors
Craft glue
Plenty of tea!

Start by adding glitter to some (or all!) of your acorns (or whatever else you foraged): cover the top of the acorn with a thin layer of craft glue (use a brush to help you), then dip into the glitter and tap to get rid of the excess. If you’re using other foraged materials, play around with them by covering all or part of them in glitter, and alternating them with the plain materials in the garland. Make sure you work on paper or something to protect your furniture/ that you can use to save and reuse excess glitter.

Leave the glue to dry. The acorns will probably need another wee shake/ brush (with a clean paintbrush) to get rid of stray glitter – but I suppose a little bit of extra glitter doesn’t hurt!

Then you can start assembling the garland! Measure the space you want the garland to cover, and add a little extra to accommodate the knots. Leave a little more twine than you need at each end to create the loops: make a loop and knot, then cover the knot with one of the bells tied on tightly. The good thing about the John Lewis pine cones was their wee stems – I simply tied my acorns and pine cones to the twine, alternating them along its length. You could always use a little craft glue to secure them in place, but mine are all still intact.

Once you’ve fastened the pine cones and acorns onto the twine securely, make a loop at the other end, tie on the last bell to cover the knot and hey presto – finished garland!

Hang your garland over your fireplace, and dress your mantle to coordinate with your make. The big pine cones were also from JL, and I added some foraged bits and pieces too. The finished set was something of an autumnal transition into Christmas decorating and a wee nod to the festivities to come. I hope you like it and have a go at your own garland! Let me know in the comments if you do, and check back next Saturday for my next yuletide make!

Have you had a crafternoon recently? What are you making this Christmas?

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